Cover Reveal + Logging History + Giveaway! | On Eagles' Wings by Lynnette Bonner

Today I have the pleasure of welcoming Lynnette Bonner to the blog! She has prepared a brief post on logging in days gone by (for all you fellow history fans out there!). Keep scrolling after the article to be among the first readers to see the cover of her upcoming release...and then keep scrolling for details on how to enter for a chance to win an e-copy. Sweet deal, no? :)

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Nope, not the new cover! ;)

This is book 1 in the Wyldhaven series.

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By Lynnette Bonner

The small logging community of Wyldhaven, the setting for On Eagles’ Wings, sits in the rugged mountains of Washington State at the cusp of the twentieth century. Wyldhaven is a logging town, and some of my research about early logging practices has been fascinating.

It is not often realized that the mid-19th century gold-rushes that took place across the West, and particularly in California, had a major impact on the logging industry. Mines had a steady need for the supply of good lumber. Lumber shored up tunnels, it fueled boilers used at the mines, and it was used to build extensive canal systems and dams to divert water. The Pacific Northwest supplied much of this lumber. Logging was the most important industry in Washington for decades. Sadly, in the early years heedless practices nearly destroyed many forests. However, over time logging companies realized the need for sustainable logging practices.

In the growing west, logging was very much a small-town enterprise. Settlements would spring up around a forested area. Quickly-constructed camps would be built nearby for the loggers to live in. And the cutting would begin. Along the coasts, boats would be used to ship the timber to California, or wherever else it was needed, but the inland towns had a harder time transporting their logs and lumber until the railroad network spread significantly.

Logging men were often hardened and profligate. No logging town of any size existed without a saloon, and with few other places to spend their money, men gathered to gamble, drink, and fight. This ensured that any town that wanted to encourage the settlement of families had need of a lawman.

Logging was also a very hazardous and bloody occupation. Men could be injured by saws, axes, hatchets, or snapping chains. They could be crushed by falling trees, rolling or tumbling logs, oxen or horses, or wagon failures. These dangerous conditions required that any operation that cared about their employees would have a doctor on hand to treat the workers.

I could go on and on about the early trials and history of the logging industry, but to keep this post short, I will stop there.

Wyldhaven has both a sheriff and a doctor. Sheriff Reagan Callahan was the main hero in book one, Not a Sparrow Falls. And Doctor Flynn Griffin is one of the main characters in On Eagles’ Wings. I hope you will enjoy reading about him and all the other characters in this new book!

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And here's the cover for On Eagles' Wings, book 2 in the Wyldhaven series!

So pretty! I love the golds and blues, and how this cover begs you to read the book during the Christmas season. The candlelight promises a hopeful story and stands out beautifully against the dark background. But I do believe the expression on the heroine's face suggests some difficulties along the journey...

About the Book

Take the next stagecoach to Wyldhaven, where the coffee’s perked hot, the sheriff likes his apple pie fresh from the oven, and adventure invariably waits just around the next river bend. 

Boardinghouse owner Dixie Pottinger has done her best to avoid the attractive Dr. Griffin. But now that her mother-in-law is sick and he’s going to be coming around more to care for her, Dixie knows she must inform him about her past. She works up her courage and feels great relief when she finally tells Dr. Griffin that she’s a married woman…maybe…if her husband, Steven Pottinger, survived the bullet put into him before she fled.

Dr. Flynn Griffin can’t believe he’s been having feelings for a married woman! His honor requires that he immediately put those feelings to rest. As for the man who had abused Dixie so badly that she retreated into hiding… If he was still alive, he better never show up in Wyldhaven, because Flynn had plenty of ideas on how to teach the man lessons in gentlemanly conduct.

Little does Flynn know that Steven Pottinger is about to become his patient. Gravely injured by an accidental gunshot, Steven lies on the brink of eternity. Never in all his life has Flynn been tempted to break his Hippocratic Oath.

Until now.

Learn more and pre-order at LynnetteBonner.com/OEW

Giveaway!

One commenter will receive a free eBook copy of On Eagles’ Wings when it becomes available. Please include your email address in your comment so we can contact you if you win!*

Lynnette's Question for You: What historical profession do you admire the most?

*A winner will be chosen on November 9 and will have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen. Note that the prize will not be emailed until the book's release.